The Ethics of Hunger Strikes as a Mode of Protest

Syllabus: Ethics/ Governance

Source: The Hindu

Context: Hunger strikes as a form of protest have been a contentious method, raising numerous ethical questions about the treatment of strikers and the state’s response.

Explanation:

Definition: Hunger strikes are deliberate refusals to eat, often employed to achieve political or social goals.

Historically, hunger strikes have been used in various cultures, such as pre-Christian Ireland’s troscad and in ancient Indian texts like Kalhana’s Rajatarangini. The practice became prominent in the late 19th century, with significant examples from Russian political prisoners, the suffragette movement, and Gandhiji’s hunger strike against injustices.

Key Features:

• Physiological Defiance: Hunger strikes use the body’s natural processes as a direct challenge to authority.

• Alternative Protest Method: In situations where other forms of protest are unavailable, hunger strikes become a potent tool.

• Emotional Appeal: The self-imposed suffering of hunger strikers is designed to evoke a response from the public and authorities.

Examples:

• Global: Irish republican Thomas Ashe, suffragette Marion Wallace Dunlop, and Japanese anarchist Akaba Hajime.

• India: Freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Jatin Das (Died after a 63-day hunger strike), Bhagat Singh, and modern activists like Irom Sharmila (Manipur), Potti Sriramulu (hunger strike led to the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh) and Anna Hazare (hunger strike against corruption in 2011)

Recent Examples:

• Manoj Jarange-Patil: Fasts demanding Maratha community reservations.

• Sonam Wangchuk: 21-day hunger strike for Ladakh’s constitutional safeguards.

• Khader Adnan: Palestinian prisoner who died after an 87-day hunger strike in 2023.

Ethical Considerations:

• State Response: The use of force-feeding by authorities, which can lead to severe health complications or death, raises significant ethical issues.

• Health and Safety: Providing medical care against the striker’s will or allowing a striker to die poses moral dilemmas for both medical professionals and the state.

• Autonomy vs. State Control: Balancing the striker’s autonomy with the state’s responsibility to preserve life.

Benefits:

• Highlighting Injustices: Hunger strikes can draw significant attention to causes and injustices.

• Non-violent Resistance: It is seen as a powerful form of non-violent protest.

• Historical Significance: They have a proven track record in various movements and resonate culturally as a form of sacrifice and protest

• Moral High Ground: By enduring personal suffering, hunger strikers highlight the injustice they protest against

Challenges:

• Moral Dilemmas: Ethical questions about the appropriateness of force-feeding and providing medical care against the will of the striker.

• Health Risks: Prolonged starvation leads to severe health risks, including death.

• Preservation of Life: Ethical principles emphasize the importance of preserving life, which can be compromised by hunger strikes.

• State’s Role: The state’s approach to handling hunger strikes can lead to human rights abuses.

• Coercion: Hunger strikes can pressure authorities and manipulate public sentiment, raising concerns about fairness and legitimacy.

• Impact on Others: The emotional burden on family and friends and the potential need for others to intervene raise ethical issues.

• Legal and Medical Ethics: Authorities and healthcare professionals face dilemmas balancing respect for autonomy with the duty to preserve life, such as issues around forced feeding versus neglect.

Steps Taken:

• Legal and Medical Guidelines: Various guidelines exist, such as the World Medical Association’s 1975 Tokyo Declaration, which condemns force-feeding.

• Geneva Convention: Sets standards for wounded combatants, but its application to hunger strikers is unclear, complicating health professionals’ roles.

• Indian Context: Madras High Court ruled that hunger strikes are not an offence under Section 309 (attempt to suicide).

Views of various Ethical Thinkers:

Thinker | Views on Hunger Strikes

John Stuart Mill | Advocated for individual freedom and the right to protest, including through hunger strikes, as long as it doesn’t harm others.

Gandhi | Preferred “fasting” over “hunger strikes” and viewed it as a means of self-reform rather than a tool for political demands. He believed fasting should be used to appeal to personal or moral reform rather than to coerce political change.

Swami Vivekananda | Emphasized practical spirituality and the need for effective means of social reform. He might see hunger strikes as a legitimate form of protest if it aligns with moral and spiritual principles but would also consider its broader social impact.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar | Criticized hunger strikes as “unconstitutional” and favoured legal methods for social and economic goals.

Insta Links:

• Ahmadabad Mill Strike, 1918